google +1 grab your personal name now.

Google has opened up their +1 to everyone and while the jury is still out on the full impact of Google +1, these things are certain:

Google is going head to head with Facebook for ‘community’ activities and is weighting their search engines toward People oriented, real or perceived dialogue and high activity levels of engagement.

They are undoubtedly trying to weed out PR firms, SEO and wordtracker type crutches and –just like back in school – reward with higher rankings in search, those who have active communities of friends. That being said, we’d recommend the following actions:

DO ENGAGE in on-line conversations. You don’t need to go overboard but do stretch a little and figure out what you can talk about that is of interest to others. Yes, big brother is watching all of us, but that is happening anyway.

MAKE FRIENDS and talk (what do they like, what do they do for a living, what do their customers/prospect read or explore for interests)

SIMPLIFY AND FIX YOUR WEBSITE. Yes, websites are still important – but they should be simple, organized, and informational using words that reflect your business and interests. This is the new yellow pages. A quick view to see what you offer.

If you are not a writer but a massage therapist- then words like muscles, massage, towels, weight loss techniques and good health are all important differentiators that will bring the right audience to you.

Blogging is not a public diary. But it can be a beacon of light to a search engine. If you don’t feel you have the time to blog and maintain your website and your business, think again. Your on line community can become your weekly networking event. Keep it simple. Keep it consistent and try WordPress – which can combine both in a simple to use format.

Entries should be things that are important to your clients. Choose two days a month like the 1st and the 15th and write about something…draw up a list of topics in advance. Think of it as a letter to mum, IT WORKS AND IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE A CHORE.

We’re a print shop. We’re also a Business Communications Company. So we’re all about communications; tools of communications; business communications; and everything about #paperNpixels that help businesses communicate.

I’m a professional photographer, a ‘wild arts guy’ as I’ve so been named. So, when you look at my blog you’ll see me mixing my areas of expertise in visual and marketing and most often sharing in a humorous way with my clients.

KEEP THE GOAL SIMPLE: be yourself, be authentic, and be consistent (once a month or twice a month), but don’t skip a month and disappoint the unforgiving search engines or your growing legion of followers and readers.

If you’re a friend of the UK or a friend of Kendall PRess, go to these blogs and leave a comment. Doing so will engage you in the conversation and this will help your own search engine rankings as well as ours. Dialogue. Talking. Amazing things can happen when you engage with others.

Happy All Hallows Eve and back to shoveling early snow and reconnecting from electrical outages.Keith for Kendall PRess